Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., December 18, 2008 Kislev 21, 5769 | | Israel Time: 04:54 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File
Comments:  7
Last update - 01:20 18/12/2008
Rumor of Bamba snack's link to spate of infant deaths brings down Osem stock
By Ayala Tsoref, TheMarker Correspondent
Tags: Israel news, bamba 

A malicious and false email announcing that a substance in the peanut-based snack "Bamba" caused a recent spate of mysterious infant deaths has caused the stocks of the product's manufacturer Osem to plummet.

According to the email, which the Health Ministry has denied as false, Osem was to issue a press release Wednesday night announcing that a correlation has been found between Bamba and the deaths.

The Health Ministry emphasized that "there is no connection between the unusual mortality and any kind of food product." Osem also issued a response, saying "we refer the public to the Health Ministry announcement that quashes the baseless rumors."
Advertisement
In less than three days, the email was sent to tens of thousands of people, and was featured in numerous internet forums. The content of the email was also disseminated by SMS and word of mouth.

In parallel, company workers entered various parenting and childcare forums online, clearly identifying themselves as belonging to Osem's customer-service department, and reassuring surfers that Bamba was safe.

At least some damage had already been done. The e-mail sent Osem stock spiraling south, falling as much as 6% before rallying to close only 1% lower, on enormous turnover ¬ for Osem - of NIS 27 million.

A few hours after the affair erupted, Osem's spokeswoman confirmed that the company will be filing a complaint with the police Thursday morning, asking that the source of the email be investigated.

The request may not be needed, as the source has already been outed - a woman working at Hewlett-Packard.

She disseminated the mail among all HP workers in Israel, who number in the hundreds, writing that by evening Osem would be issuing a press release recalling Bamba, and saying that Super-Pharm was going to remove the product from its shelves.

She even signed the e-mail using her own name and added her phone number, giving the police a blessedly short investigation.

In an exchange of email between her and another HP worker who asked for more details on the affair, the woman wrote that her uncle works at Super-Pharm and had told her the story.

The woman could not be reached for comment.

It was evident that Osem's management had been caught off guard and wasn't sure how to counter the attack, especially since the enemy was not a corporate competitor, but just an ordinary person who had caused tremendous damage with the click of a mouse.

"Osem will take legal steps against the person who sent this malicious e-mail," the company commented, noting the panic that the lie had sparked.

A source at the Health Ministry said that from afternoon, the ministry had been inundated with phone calls from frightened consumers, demanding confirmation or denial of the report.

"We underestimated the intensity of this fabrication," commented a manager at Osem. "We didn't think that so many people would take an e-mail that stupid seriously. I don't want to think what would have happened if [we] had been a small company that didn't have mechanisms to reach people at the Health Ministry quickly, asking them to issue an announcement denying the mail."

Osem is controlled by the Swiss food company Nestle.


Related articles:
  • Spate of mysterious infant deaths prompts health ministry investigation
  • Hospital official: Serious faults led to new mother's death
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Picking up the pieces
    U.S. Jews ponder 'catastrophic' effects of Bernard Madoff affair.
    Adolf Hitler, toddler
    Three-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake.
      1.   Motive to E-mail 18:14  |  JJ 17/12/08
      2.   The general public is naive 18:41  |  Ethan 17/12/08
      3.   How many people are employed by Osems 19:54  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/12/08
      4.   Probably someone who wanted to by Osem stock 22:37  |  Dani 17/12/08
      5.   I can remember when US Fundimentalists 22:48  |  Mark Lincoln 17/12/08
      6.   Linthwaite the sick puppy 00:52  |  Bilbi 18/12/08
      7.   osem 03:26  |  Birdi 18/12/08
     Read & React
    Jurists tell Barak: Don't shell Gaza population centers
    Responses: 229
    Olmert: Qassam attacks require a response, and there will be one
    Responses: 112
    3-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake
    Responses: 105
    Amira Hass: Hamas expects Israel to foil two-state solution
    Responses: 47
    Barak: Iran could attack the U.S. with a nuclear bomb
    Responses: 76


    More Headlines
    02:18 Knesset speaker, ex-Likud hawk capture top spots in Kadima primary
    01:18 Barak: Iran could attack U.S. with nuclear bomb
    03:21 IAF strikes targets in Gaza in response to Qassam fire
    00:32 Mofaz: Dispute between bus drivers definitely caused fatal Eilat crash
    02:56 Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs conscientious objectors who shun IDF enlistment
    01:55 Report: Jews of Yemen to be relocated following murder
    02:41 Bush shoe-throwing incident spawns viral games on the Web
    02:22 Britain steps up fight against West Bank settlements
    14:06 3-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake
    13:55 Russia to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets
    02:03 Barak to Haaretz: I was hurt by Amos Oz's words
    04:28 Jurists tell Barak: Don't shell Gaza population centers
    17:38 Hamas leader: No truce unless Israel eases Gaza restrictions
    02:07 Largest-ever number of ex-journalists may enter Knesset
    02:48 Government mulling proposal to repair Muslim holy sites
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Summer in Israel
    Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
    Summer Camp in Israel
    The best place for your children this summer
    Living in Israel Studying in English
    Click & Meet our students from all around the world
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Car rental in Israel
    Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates.
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved